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Avocados

ExD

Well-Known Member
Messages
208
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I love avocados but am so often disappointed with them. It doesn't seem to matter whether I buy the 'ready to eat' ones or the 'ripen on the windowledge' ones - they are either hard and woody, of full of horrid brown speckles when I cut them open - occasionally I'll get one thats delicious and it keeps me hooked.
How do you choose an avocado? Should it be slightly squashy, and if I get one thats brown inside does that mean lots of other people have been squeezing it? Perhaps I should be only buying packaged ones or going to a greengrocer's and not a supermarket?
Any hints?
 
I have the best luck with avocados from Mexico and for some reason certain stores have better ones than others. I always buy the whole ones. It should have just a little 'give' when you push on it. It should not be soft. I generally buy a bunch of hard ones and ripen at home. I stagger them as they ripen so I always have at least three ripe all the time. As they ripen put them in the fridge to stop ripening. If you have some left over put some waxed paper or paper towel where the pit was so its air tight and press down lightly on a plate. This will stop it from browning
 
I don't get much choice as my husband flatly refuses to do anything other than internet food shopping, so after having similar disasters, I now insist on Tesco's packs of small avocados for ripening, and keep them in our veggie/fruit cupboard instead of on the work top under the below-unit lighting - where they get too hot, over-ripen and attracted (fruit) flies. My edibility success rate has since risen to 4 out of 4 for over 90% of the time now (unless I keep them too long!) instead of one in four previously!

Riobbity

PS AFAIK mine tend to be mainly the dark slightly knobbly Hass variety rather than the smoother green skinned ones.
 
I keep mine in a wire basket on the counter away from fruit. Fruit flies.
I wonder if putting them under our undercounted light would help ripen faster when need be? Perhaps it would.
I often wondered if putting them outside in the sun would help?
Ive tried it in a brown paper bag with a piece of fruit and didn't notice a difference
 

I'll have to try your approach as we just bring them home and put them
In the fridge


Sent from my iPhone using DCUK Forum
 
KevinPotts said:
I'll have to try your approach as we just bring them home and put them
In the fridge


Sent from my iPhone using DCUK Forum
Click to expand...
Kevin, the refrigerator halts ripening so they should stay out until ripe. I find they last well over a week in the fridge. I put them in when they have a little give. I don't like them mushy, just creamy and a little firm but not hard.
 
Kristin251 said:
Kevin, the refrigerator halts ripening so they should stay out until ripe. I find they last well over a week in the fridge. I put them in when they have a little give. I don't like them mushy, just creamy and a little firm but not hard.
Click to expand...

Thanks Kristin....always learning


Sent from my iPhone using DCUK Forum
 
Buy frozen ones (Tesco) or 'ready to eat' ones from quite a few supermarkets., and don't worry about a bit of brownness, it doesn't taste any difference.
 
Which fruit did you use.. I think its banana the makes them ripen fastest..we have tried it quite a few times and it seems to work.. if they're hard when bought stick in a paper bag with the banana and usually ok to eat after 24-36 hours. Then they go in the fridge until needed.
 
I find that some shops in may area have fairly consistently good avocados while others only have good ones while others only have good ones when they're in perfect season. You may need to shop around until you find the perfect local avocado supplier.
 

Apples also have a similar ripening effect - it's a gas they give off that triggers this happening. And is apparently the origin of the old saying that one rotten apple spoils the barrel!

Robbity
PS I've just checked with Google and the gas is ethylene which is also used in commercial fruit ripening.
 
Yes ethylene and I used an apple. It's the only fruit we have because my husband eats them. I'll try again. Can't hurt right?
 
www.producefeshness.com

I use these in my produce drawer and they stop ripening fresh produce.
Berries and greens will last for about a week and a half. They absorb the ethylene gas so it stops the ripening.
Great investment.
 
I like the Hass variety too. Usually get them in Waitrose.
 
Thanks everyone, we don't have a Tesco or a Waitrose as I live in the sticks, Asda is my nearest store, and like Robbity I find the 'online' shopping poor for fruit and veg as they often send poor quality produce. So its Asda or else a trip into town with all the parking problems and queuing round the one-way system.
I'll try the banana/apple solution as its the ones I try to ripen on the window ledge that seem to go brown (and I'll remember to eat my brown bits(!)
Looking forward to my avocados!!
 
I usually buy at one go three avogadro with colour vary from brown to green n just placed it on the kitchen table. The avogadro will take turn to ripe.
 
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